lachian Mountains, as far as western North Carolina. It thrives 

 under cool climatic conditions, extending northward to the Arctic 

 Circle, and, according to Hitchcock, 1 is the dominant grass in the 

 interior of Alaska. Bluejoint is strictly a moisture-loving grass 

 which grows 1 typically in swamps, marshes, wet meadows and parks, 

 along streams, and in moist canyon bottoms and semishaded wood- 

 lands. It extends from sea level in the North and Northwest to 

 elevations of over 12,000 feet near the southern limit of its range 

 in New Mexico and to over 11,000 feet in Colorado. On the western 

 ranges, it is most common in the cool mountains at medium to 

 high elevations where it is often very abundant on localized areas, 

 sometimes forming dense pure stands. 



The forage value of bluejoint varies considerably in different 

 localities; it has been variously rated from poor to very good for all 

 classes of livestock. The general tendency has been to give it a 

 higher palatability rating than it actually deserves. Because of 

 its wide distribution and abundance in many localities, however, 

 this grass furnishes a large amount of forage. Under proper 

 range management the average palatability of bluejoint is medium, 

 or less, for all classes of livestock. The leafage is usually consumed 

 with moderate relish by cattle and horses but, on account of its 

 rank growth, is not closely grazed by sheep. The latter often 

 eat the leaf blades but seldom graze the stems even in the forepart 

 of the season. The herbage is most palatable when young and 

 succulent, but the tendency of this grass to grow in wet habitats 

 tends to prohibit its use By livestock, especially sheep, until late 

 in the season when the leafage is more harsh and tough. This 

 species is good elk feed and is grazed lightly by deer. 



Bluejoint reproduces both vegetatively and by means of seed. In 

 the Blue Mountains of Oregon, Sampson 2 observed that a large 

 amount of seed of good viability was produced. Reproduction by 

 rootstocks is prolific, stands in some localities becoming dense enough 

 to be cut for hay. This species is an important source of wild hay 

 from Wisconsin to North Dakota. 1 



Calamagrostis is a very difficult genus botanically, due to its 

 great morphological variation and lack of stability, and bluejoint is 

 no exception to this rule. Consequently its nomenclature is much 

 confused in the books. C. canadensis acuminata, a variety based 

 largely on its small spikelets and narrow, tapered (acuminate) 

 glumes seems to intergrade completely with the species (C. canaden- 

 sis}. C. blanda (syn. C. pallida Vasey & Scribn., not C. Mnell.), a 

 Washington form, separated chiefly on its pale, flexuous panicle and 

 rather long awn attached near the apex of the lemma, seems also to 

 merge inseparably in C. canadenxis. C. cuprea, (syn. C. inexpansa 

 cuprea} and C. lactea (syn. C. langsdorfii lactea) in the past have 

 been more or less confused with C. canadensis. C. cuprea is now re- 

 garded as a synonym of C. inescpansa, and G. lactea is regarded as 

 a rare, distinct species, known only from Mount Baker, Wash. 



1 Hitchcock, A. S. THE GENERA OF GRASSES OF THE VXITED STATES, WITH SPECIAL 

 REFERENCE TO THE ECONOMIC SPECIES. U. S. Dept. Agr. Bull. 772, 307 pp., illus. 1920. 



- Sampson, A. W. IMPORTANT RANGE PLANTS : THEIR LIFE HISTORY AXL> FORAGE VALVE. 

 U. S. Dept. Agr. Bull. 545, 63 pp., illus. 1917. 



